Halo: All or Nothing (Book 1: Reach)
by Mythic Wolf Productions
Summary: The story you know so well, but with new Dead Space-esque death scenes! Follow the exploits of the former SPARTAN-II Epsilon team as they are drafted to Noble team. As a replacement for Thom-293, Brian-113, a SPARTAN-II commando, will join his best friend, Kevin-321, in the defense of one of humanities most important colonies. "Welcome to Reach." Jun-A266
1. Disclaimer

_**Disclaimer! Please, read before c**_**_ontinuing!_**

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We do not own anything, except for OC's Kevin & Brian. All material is canon to Halo Reach (excluding the fact that we replaced Noble Six), so if you haven't played them yet, stop reading to avoid spoilers. All characters from both the Halo series are properties of their respective owners. All information was acquired by means of various reliable sources. All weapon, vehicle, and brand names are also properties of their respective owners. All material is subject to change at any given time, in the story or in the disclaimer. You have been forewarned.


	2. A Refresher of Recent Events

**_BEFOREYOUREAD,READTHIS:_**

**(Keith) Okay, first off, I should say that we WILL be replacing Master Chief with our OC's, so if you have a problem, stop reading.**

**(Corey) And Serina, the AI from Halo Wars, will be being recovered at some point during the story. Maybe not this one, but one of ours definitely.**

**(Keith) Is that everything?**

**(Corey) Yep.**

**(Keith) Soo... we can start?**

**(Corey) Yeah.**

**(Keith) Alright. Then we can begin. Oh wait, I forgot to mention that SOME of the dates that follow arent stated by Bungie, so I made them up. Now lets begin.**

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**UPDATE:**

**(Keith) I have decided to include the chief after all, due to my friends saying "How could you?!" So yeah. There you go. That being said, this is an edited version of this chapter, the rest of the story will remain unaffected.**

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**September 23, 2517:**

Seventy-eight children are conscripted into the SPARTAN-II program per Naval Code 45812 on Reach, two of which are SPARTANs Kevin-321 and Brian-113.

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**September 24, 2517:**

The 6-year-old SPARTAN-II trainees awaken for their first day of training. They are led by Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez, and are introduced to Déjà. Kevin and Brian immediately form an unbreakable bond between each other.

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**January 17, 2525:**

Humanity makes first contact when the Covenant ship Minor Transgression attacks another human ship the Bulk Discount, said human ship having the Walk of Shame in support and hosting not only Johnson and Byrne but also an arsenal of weapons. The aliens are repelled (though Johnson receives a fractured skull) and the ship destroyed, though Dadab, an Unggoy, and Lighter Than Some, a Huragok, are able to escape in an escape pod after making a report on the relics they've found.

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**March 9, 2525:**

SPARTAN-IIs undergo rigorous chemical, physical and biological augmentations. Thirty-six SPARTAN's successfully pass the alterations, thirty subjects die, and twelve are permanently disabled.

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**July 13, 2526**

the Covenant began an assault on Circinius IV, targeting the Corbulo Academy of Military Science with three SDV-class heavy corvettes. Locally stationed Marines provided an initial defense of the Academy and the evacuation of the cadets via the school's space elevator was begun immediately. Orbiting UNSC vessels soon deployed Orbital Drop Shock Troopers directly onto the campus. However, one of the Covenant corvettes fired on the elevator, causing it to collapse on the school and halt the evacuation. Since all the cadets and staff had converged near the elevator for evacuation, the collapse of the elevator killed many of members of the academy. SPARTAN-II Commando Kevin-321 is deployed to the planet, along with four other SPARTAN-IIs, (John-117, Brian-113, Fredrick-104, and Kelly-087) for a search-and-rescue of any and all survivors.

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**February 23, 2531**

The human ship _Spirit of Fire_, a _Phoenix-_class colony ship, mysteriously disappeared from Arcadia. The UNSC declared the ship as "Missing", along with its entire crew, including her shipboard A.I. _Serina_.

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**September 18, 2532**

The first year of training for SPARTAN-III's Alpha Company (the children for the project were brought to Onyx on December 27 of the previous year to determine who stayed or washed out). Catherine Elizabeth Halsey is made aware that several augmentation chemical precursors were routed through ONI, raising her suspicions that they are replicating her work.

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**February 10, 2534**

The _Spirit of Fire_, previously designated as "missing", was declared "lost with all hands" by the UNSC. The reason for this change was kept top secret. A memorial service was held for the people aboard the vessel, but many of the crew's family members chose not to attend, holding out hope that their loved ones are still alive.

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**September 23, 2554**

SPARTANs Brian-113, Kevin-321, and Josylin-048 form "Epsilon" team.

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**February 14, 2535**

With the destruction of Jericho VII, most major Outer Colonies had been destroyed. In order to protect Earth and the remaining colonies, the Cole Protocol was established by military order. Human ships must, when forced to withdraw, not move on to a colony-bound vector, even if that means jumping without proper navigational calculations. If blind jumps are not possible, the ship's Captain must order a self-destruction sequence if capture is imminent. In addition, it is also imperative that the powerful ship AI data cores not fall into Covenant hands, so part of this protocol involves either the removal or destruction of the ship's A.I. in extreme situations. Additionally, no captured Covenant ships or technology may be brought back to a human planet without being checked extensively for surveillance devices.

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**March 28, 2536**

With the introduction of the Spartan-IIIs, the Cyclops exoskeleton is removed from service due to issues with its high power consumption and propulsion.

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**August 25, 2537**

Operation: PROMETHEUS commences, consisting of SPARTAN-III Alpha Company and SPARTAN-II Epsilon team. Most of SPARTAN-III Alpha Company destroys a Covenant shipyard on asteroid K7-49, but 301 of the participating SPARTANs, including Josylin-048, are killed in the process, making their commanders doubt the SPARTAN-III's actual effectiveness in combat.

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**November 7, 2549**

Cortana is created from Dr. Catherine Halsey's flash-cloned brain.

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**November 19, 2549**

The SPARTAN-II Program was announced to the public, and any SPARTAN who dies is to be listed as ether MIA or WIA, to give the illusion that Spartans never die in accordance with the Office of Naval Intelligence Directive 930.

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**December 15, 2549**

A mandatory psychiatric reevaluation for the members of Noble Team takes place. Jun-A266 is noted as having "an unhealthy emotional detachment in regards to the consequences of his actions".

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**November 24, 2551**

After vigorous testing by the SPARTANs of Epsilon team, the MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V enters service.

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**January 13, 2552**

Kevin-321 is drafted to Noble team in an attempt to bolster their strength, so they will be prepared in case of emergency.

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**April 22, 2552**

During the Battle of Fumirole, Noble Team member Thom-293 destroys a CCS-class battlecruiser but kills himself in the process, and Catherine-B320 loses her arm. She subsequently receives a robotic prosthetic replacement.

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**July 24, 2552**

Two months after the death of Thom-293, Brian-113 joins Noble Team as SPARTAN-293's replacement.

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**A/N:**

**(Keith) Well, that was a toughie. Trying to keep all the important dates as accurate as possible, while also trying to fit our OC's into it, was difficult. I don't care who you are.**

**(Corey) Um... this game... is a twisted... version of all the Halo's... just in a different point-of-view... I don't care who you are... we like it.**

**(Keith) You feelin' alright?**

**(Corey) What?**

**(Keith) I said "You feelin' alright?"**

**(Corey) Yeah. Why?**

**(Keith) Because, you were pretty scattered on that sentence.**

**(Corey) I was?**

**(Keith) Yes. Wanna try again?**

**(Corey) Yeah.**

**(Keith) Then go ahead.**

**(Corey) This is our POV of what happened... er of what our SPARTAN's went through actually. I hope you enjoy it, like it. Can they comment and subscribe to this?**

**(Keith) Yeah, in a way. It's called a "Review".**

**(Corey) Oh. When you're finished reading, tell us if you like it and if it needs improvements.**

**(Keith) Well, I gotta start writing the first chapter. Visit us soon for "Prologue: Welcome to Reach" (Yes, I will be naming chapters after the level name in the respective game. El Problemo?)**


	3. Prologue: Noble Actual

**A/N:**

**(Keith) So, since Corey isn't here for this one, I guess I will be doing this chapter solo. Basically, this chapter is a transcript of "Noble Actual", the opening cutscene to Reach. However, as you guessed, and like the rest of the Halo: All or Nothing, will have mine and Corey's own personal twist. That being said, enjoy the chapter.**

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**Planet Reach**

**July 24, 2552, 0728 Hours**

A single M831 Troop Transport, or commonly referred to by the UNSC as a "Troop Warthog," drove down a dirt trail at a considerable speed, trailed by two UH-144 Falcons. Inside the Troop Hog sat a single soldier as the Warthog's pilot. Sitting next to him was a SPARTAN-II supersoldier, on his way to meet his new fireteam. The SPARTAN, looking at his new Explosive Ordinance Disposal, or EOD, helmet, equipped with a Command Network Module, or CNM, slowly turned the helmet around in his hands. He took a deep breath, and donned the helmet.

Shortly after, the Warthog arrived at the camp, following the landing of the Falcons. The SPARTAN-II jumped out of the side seat of the Warthog, only to be greeted with the "smiling" face of a SPARTAN-III, wearing a variant of the MJOLNIR Mk.V/S Powered Assault Armor consisting of a Scout Helmet with the HU-RS attachment, a cloth around his neck, and three SRS99-AM Sniper Rifle rounds on his left shoulder, as well as a combat knife on his right. He was busy loading a clip when he saw the new SPARTAN walk past him. His response was a short sigh, followed by him returning his attention to the sniper clip.

As the SPARTAN neared the main Quonset Hut, his finely-attuned senses picked up the voice of someone who appeared to be talking over a speaker system.

"Contact with Visegrád Relay was lost last night. All signals flatlined at twenty-six hundred hours. I responded with trooper fire teams, which have since been declared MIA." the first voice said. A second voice then chimed in, "And now you're sending us."

The SPARTAN-II neared the doorway, when the first voice answered, "The Office of Naval Intelligence believes deployment of a SPARTAN team is a gross misallocation of valuable resources. I disagree."

The SPARTAN finally reached the doorway, and decided to enter. But, before he could, he was stopped short by a female SPARTAN-III with a prosthetic arm. The SPARTAN-III wore Mk. V as well, with the Air Assault helmet and shoulder pauldrons, with an FC-I attachment. She turned her attention to a trio of SPARTANs, one of which being a SPARTAN-III, and said plainly, "Commander."

The three SPARTANs diverted their attention to the lady SPARTAN and the new guy. The two SPARTAN-II's immediately recognized him. The largest SPARTAN spoke to the others in the trio, "So that's our new number six." in a thick Hungarian accent. The new guy stepped foward, and a SPARTAN-III sitting in the background spoke to the lady SPARTAN, "Kat, you read his file?" Kat replied with "Only the parts that weren't covered in black ink."

The Commander turned his attention back to the screen. "Anyone claim responsibility, sir?" The man on the screen answered the Commander's query. "ONI thinks it might be the local insurrection. Five months ago, they pulled a similar job on Harmony. Hit a relay to take out our eyes and ears, then stole two freighters from dry-dock. That cannot happen here. Reach is too damn important. I want that relay back online, Noble One." The Commander replied with "Sir. Consider it done." The man he was communicating with closed the comm channel with "Then I'll see you on the other side. Holland out."

As the SPARTANs stood up, the Commander grabbed his Commando helmet from the table and turned to face the new SPARTAN. He called the SPARTAN by his rank, rather than his name. "Sergeant Major." The Sergeant Major replied with "Commander, sir."

The Commander continued; "I'm Carter, Noble team's leader. That's Kat, Noble Two, and Emile, Noble Four. I assume you are already familiar with Jorge and Kevin, Noble's Five and Seven?" The Sergeant Major confirmed Carter's assumption. "Me and Kevin are actually close friends." Carter gave a snort, and continued, "I thought so. Well, anyway, you're riding with me...?" The Sergeant Major finished his sentence for him, "Brian. Sergeant Major Brian-113 of the UNSC Arm..." Carter cut him off by saying "I am aware of your choice to be affiliated with the Army branch of the UNSC, however an odd decision that may be." Carter signed for Brian to follow him out.

Carter began explaining to Brian why he is here. "I'm not going to lie to you, Brian. You're stepping into some shoes that the rest of the squad would rather leave unfilled." He continued once they sat down in the Falcon alongside Kevin and the last SPARTAN that Brian had yet to be introduced to, though he assumed him to be a Sharpshooter or Rifleman. "Me, I'm just happy to have Noble back up to full strength. Just one thing. I've seen your file. Even the parts the ONI censors didn't want me to. I'm glad to have your skill set, but we're a team. That lone wolf stuff stays behind. Clear?" Carter signals for the other Falcon, carrying Kat, Emile, and Jorge, to get airborne. Brian acknowledges Carter's request, "Got it, sir." The unidentified SPARTAN-III introduced himself. "So, you're the new Noble Six, huh?" Brian shook his head "yes", and the SPARTAN continued. "Welcome to Reach. I'm Jun, team sniper." He offered his hand to Brian, who firmly shook it. "I'm Brian, SPARTAN-II sniper of the disbanded Epsilon team. It's nice to know another sharpshooter has my back." Jun laughed at this. "Well, Kevin has told us a lot about you. I'd like to challenge you to a game of killscores, sometime." Brian smirked, "You're on." Kevin piped in when he felt he wasn't getting enough attention. "You know, I have said so many good things about your abilities and personality, and you have yet to say 'hello' to me. See anything wrong here?" Carter, starting to get annoyed, said, "Alright, Noble. Now that pleasantries are out of the way, let's try to keep the comm channel clear." Kevin attempted to argue, "But he hasn't said..." Carter cut him off. "Okay, consider that an order. Copy, Kevin?" Kevin withdrew without a word.

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**A/N**

**(Keith) Well, I hope you like it, and I hope I didn't make anything too redundant. As 343 Industries said at the end of Halo 4, "A journey begins with a single step." This is only my... er... mine and Corey's first actual chapter, and I guess that makes this OUR first step on a great, great jounrey. I hope that we will see a long and prosperous series with the world you have left in our delicate care, (And without a word against us!). See you in Chapter 1: Winter Contingency!**


	4. Chapter 1: Winter Contingency

**A/N**

**(Keith) Again, Corey isn't here for this one, but I'm still here. What? You don't like me? Ah, well, here's the story anyway. It, like the first one and the others throughout, is a rewrite of the level it's named for. Enjoy.**

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The Falcons, callsigns Charlie 1 and Charlie 2, flew next to a mountain top at full speed. Carter, the leader of Noble team, begins his briefing. "Listen up, Noble Team. We're looking at a downed relay outpost, fifty klicks from Visegrád. We're going to introduce ourselves to whoever took it out, then Kat's going to get it back online." Kat, the intelligence officer of Noble team, commented, "Just get me under the hood, Commander." Jorge, the biggest of the SPARTAN-IIs, queried, "Sir, why would rebels want to cut off Reach from the rest of the colonies?" Kevin replied for Carter. "You get a chance, maybe you can ask them, big guy."

The SPARTANs waited for the Falcons to land, when Kat said, "Commander, we just lost our signal with HQ." Carter asked "Backup channels?" Kat checked her PDA "Searching...nada. Can't say what's jamming us."

as the Falcons approached the LZ, Carter relayed what Kat said. "You heard the lady. Dead zone confirmed. Command will not be keeping us company this trip." Emile spoke to no one in particular, "I'm lonely already."

The Falcons banked left and hovered over the outpost, and closed in on the LZ. "Shoot down attempts are likely, so keep your distance," Carter said to Charlie 1. The pilot acknowledged, "Yes, sir!" Carter continued, "Let's stay focused. Watch your sectors." The two Falcons went in two directions around the LZ, when Jorge sees the Objective. "There's the communications outpost." Kat cuts in, "Reading a distress beacon." Kevin & Brian's Heads-Up-Displays lit up with the waypoints set by Jorge and Kat. The first one read "Visegrád, Communications Outpost", while the other one read "Distress Beacon, ...Investigate". Carter replied to Kat's earlier observation, "Could be the missing troopers. Let's check it out."

Carter spoke to the pilots. "Put us down on the bluff," and the Falcons circled around for landing in response. Carter spoke to Jun. "Jun, I want your eyes in the sky." Jun acknowledged. "Sir." The Falcons landed side by side, and Carter jumped out. "Let's go, Six." Brian and Kevin both exit the Falcon along with Carter, Emile, and Kat. Jorge and Jun stayed in the Falcons to provide air support. Carter gave his first orders of the day. "Alright, Noble team. Spread out. Watch the approach." Brian follows Noble team down the hillside. About halfway down, Emile climbed a rock to get a better look at the outpost. "Structure point 3-4, looks clear from this angle." He leaped down from the rock. His shield broke from the impact, making a distinctive "ching" sound. (No SPARTAN has gone his/her life, never hearing this sound.) The rest of Noble team find another way around the cliff. As they neared the outpost, they began to hear the sound of fire crackling.** "**Distress beacon's coming from just south of here, Commander. We're close," Kat alerted the Commander. Carter replied, "Roger that. Eyes peeled."

They soon come across the outpost, with a burning Warthog in the courtyard. Both it and the ground were covered in blood. Kevin remarks, "Jee-zus! What happened here? Happy hour? Or did some chick have a bad..." He was cut off when Kat smacked him on the back of the head, effectively shutting him up. Emile began inspecting a wooden palette on the ground. "Found the beacon." He tossed the beacon to Kat for closer examination. Curiously, Carter asked, "Make out any ID?" Kat replied, "Negative, but it's military."

She dropped the beacon on the ground as Jorge, over the comm, asked, "So where are the troopers?" Kat answered his question, with another question. "Why are we not seeing explosives residue?" Carter also took notice. "Noble Three, can you confirm any 'ex residue in the area?" Jun scanned. "Hmm... Negative, sir." Emile commented "Plasma, maybe." Jorge replied, "Can't be. Not on Reach." Emile, finally taking notice of the blood, spoke. "There's a _lot_of blood on the ground." After a brief moment, Carter spoke up. "All right, Noble, looks like there's nothing here. Let's move on."Noble team moved on towards a civilian structure. Kat spoke, "Smoke at the next structure, boss." Carter acknowledged. "Circle west and check it out. Noble Team: you have permission to engage, but be selective. We don't need to telegraph a presence."

They moved closer to the house, and Carter made his plan. "Noble Six and Seven, move into the house. Go in quiet. I'm right behind you." Kevin and Brian did so. Kevin called out, "Clear left." Brian acknowledged, and cleared the right. "Clear right." Carter confirmed, and called the all clear. Jun spoke over the comms, "Noble Leader, I'm seeing heat-sigs in the structure ahead!" Noble team moved quickly out of the house and into another courtyard. A farmer came out of his house, obviously scared. He began speaking Hungarian. "Én nem csináltam semmit!" _(I didn't do anything!)_ Kevin pointed his M6G Magnum at the farmer and spoke, "Move!" Emile walked up, and continued "On your knees, _now_!" But, the farmer apparently only spoke Hungarian. "Ne lőjön! Ne lőjön!" _(Don't shoot! Don't shoot!)_, the farmer cried. Jorge walked up behind Noble team. "They're not rebels, they're farmers. Look at them." Kevin pondered, "Jorge? When did you get here?" He replied, "Just now, actually." Carter, wanting results, said to Jorge, "Ask him what they're doing here." Jorge gave a quick nod, and questioned the farmer. "Mit kerestek itt?" _(What are you doing here?)_ The farmer began talking. "Csak nem akartunk meghalni." Jorge translated, "Hiding, sir. Neighbors were attacked last night. He heard screams, gunfire. It stopped around sunrise." The farmer continued. "Valami megölte a fiamat." Jorge continued translating. "He says something in the fields... killed his son." Carter found something off about that sentence. "Some_thing_?"

Jun interrupted their interrogation. "Commander, be advised. I'm reading heat signatures at the structure directly east from your position. Over." Carter acknowledged. "Copy that." He spoke to Jorge, "Get them back inside." He nodded in reply, and spoke; "Azt mondtam, befelé! Gyere!" _(I said get in! Get in!)_

A new waypoint appeared on the building in question, and Noble team began sprinting towards it. When they arrived, Jorge spoke, "We're moving in, Commander." As they did, they found several human corpses, including two, wearing Army BDUs, pinned to a wall. Brian was first to comment. "Damn..." Jun, curious, spoke. "Fill me in, Noble team, what are you seeing? Over." Carter kneeled over the pools of blood and examined them. Avian-like footprints can be seen in it. He answered. "We've got military casualties, two of the missing troopers. Looks like they were interrogated...It's messy." He stood back up, and signaled the team to keep moving.

They enter an adjacent room with another dead body, when movement is suddenly heard on the roof, and a brief hostile contact is detected on the motion tracker. Carter points it out. "Movement. Watch your motion trackers." They head outside to ID the contact, but it vanishes.

Emile speaks. "What the hell was that?" Carter tries Jun for information. "Jun, you see anything?" He replies. "Negative. Thermal's clean." Noble team heads into the next building, and Jun spots something on the Infrared. "Boss, I see movement, outside your structure!" Carter starts barking orders. "Noble Two, move up to the west. We're about to be flanked." Before he can finish, he is interrupted by Jorge and Emile.  
"Huh?"  
"_Damn it!_"  
"Covenant!"  
Carter starts again. "Contact, contact! SPARTANs, assist!"  
Jorge finishes. "Here we go." Brian, Carter, and Kevin all start firing at the Kig-Yar Skirmishers, who in response, bolt towards the building, and into the basement. Carter quickly spots them, though. "They're heading into the basement. Move down to the lower levels!" Brian and Kevin both reply at the same time. "Affirmative!" They both run downstairs, past the dead body of a soldier. Kevin takes his Magnum ammo. They then engage the trio of Skirmishers, taking one down with their MA37 ICWS Assault Rifles. Kevin took the second out with a single headshot, to which he comments, "BAM! Right betwixt the eye sockets!" The third one, being distracted by Kevin's sudden outburst, didn't notice Brian rush up behind him. Brian grabbed him by the feathers on top of his head, pulled him down to the ground on his back, and drove his combat knife straight through the throat, and out the back of the neck.

Outside, a squadron of Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft, or Banshees, closed in on the Falcons. Charlie 2 spotted them first. "Banshees! Heads up, Charlie 1!" Jun spotted a small squad of Type-25 Troop Carriers, or Spirits. "Noble Leader, enemy dropships inbound!" Charlie 1 joined his squadmate in the fight. "Falcon moving to assist." They destroyed two Banshees, but the Spirits slipped by. Kevin and Brian rushed outside to engage the new wave. Carter, Jorge, Emile, and Kat joined them. Noble team ran down the hillside and across a covered bridge, eliminating every Covenant they came across. Carter lobbed a single M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose fragmentation grenade, or Frag, at a group of Unggoy, or Grunts, and Skirmishers. It went off, causing body parts and blood to shower the immediate area, though 2 Skirmishers survived. Jorge quickly gunned them down with his modified M247H Heavy Machine Gun, leaving them as little more than piles of bloody mush.

"Stand down, Noble, stand down. Contacts neutralized." Carter said. Jorge scoffed. "Contacts? It's the damn _Covenant_!" Emile tried to make the best of a bad. "Cheer up, big man: this whole valley just turned into a free-fire zone." Carter found no humor in what he said. "Kat, we've got to warn Holland. I need you at that relay outpost now." Jun cut in. "Boss, I'm showing more activity to the east!" Carter replied "Copy that, Jun, we're on it. Six, you've got point." Brian agreed. "On it, sir!"

They rushed across the creek to meet the threat. They were greeted by a Trio of Ultra-rank Sangheili, or Elites, and a small pack of Grunts. "Contact, contact!" Kevin called. He was the first to engage. He sprinted towards a Grunt, and smacked it in the face with the butt of his Assault Rifle, baseball style. It's head flew back, and an audiable "crack" was heard. He knew he broke its neck. An Ultra rushed at him, intent on cracking his skull open, but was tackled by Carter, who proceeded to stab it in the face. Kat continuously fired her Magnum at the second Elite, while Jorge perforated the rest of the Grunts with .50 calibur bullets. Emile and Brian took on the third Elite. Brian acting as a distraction, while Emile rushed him with his Kukri knife in hand. He stabbed the Elite in the legs, breaking his energy shields, and making him buckle to the ground. He followed up with a 20 gauge shell to the face, spattering blood, skull, and brain matter all over the grass. Brian, having witnessed the grotesqueness firsthand, remarked. "Brutal, Emile. Brutal and stomach-churning." Emile replied with "You do what you have to." Brian nodded. Jun cut in again. "Commander, I'm seeing more hostile activity to the North-East." Carter gave his orders. "Emile, Kevin, you're with Kat. Brian, Jorge, and I will run interference on the ground. We'll meet you at the outpost." The trio of SPARTANs walked away from the other trio, hearing Kat over the comms. "Noble Three, requesting air-lift, over."

Carter, Brian, and Jorge moved towards a TurboGen Independent Wheel Drive "Spade", an orange flatbed truck. Brian took the driver seat, Carter in the passenger seat, and Jorge on the bed, attaching his gun to the frame of the truck, making an improvised Warthog. Carter said to the team over the comms, "Get to work, Noble." And they did. Brian drove through a small fireteam of Skirmishers, hidden between a flock of Moa, a creature indigenous to Reach, mostly used for food, (Like the Moa Burgers.) He splattered them, leaving blood and guts all over the grass and the front of the truck. After driving around a little bit, Jun cut in. "Noble leader, I'm reading hostile activity up ahead." Carter replied. "Copy that, Jun. We're on it." Brian hung a left, and drove straight into a small courtyard, packed with Elites, Skirmishers, and Grunts. He opened up the throttle as far as it would go. The Elite heard something behind him, so he turned around, only to be greeted by the front bumper of a truck. He flopped over the hood, and nearly knocked Jorge off the back. Brian stopped the truck, and they all piled out. Brian rushed into the house, Assault Rifle in hand. He emptied an entire clip into the shields of an Elite, causing them to collapse under pressure. He took out his Magnum, and put a single bullet into the Elite's head, effectively knocking him square on his ass.

Halfway through the fight, Jun cut in again. "Noble Leader, I'm picking up a distress signal." A new voice cut in to the comms. "Mayday! 3 Charlie Six, does anyone read? We were attacked by Covenant forces. The Covenant is on Reach. I repeat: the Covenant is on Reach." Jorge finished riveting a Skirmisher with .50 cal bullets, and asked "The troopers?" Carter gave another order. "Let's move, Brian. We've gotta find the source of that distress call." He spoke after slitting the throat of a Grunt. Brian nodded in reply, and stabbed an Elite in the face. Jorge continued filling his enemies with .50 cal bullets. Jun continued. "No disrespect, but don't we have more important things to do than round up strays?" Carter replied. "We don't leave people behind. You see those troopers, you let me know." After about 15 seconds, they had finished off the rest of the Covenant in the area, and rushed back to the truck.

"Noble Leader, I'm seeing possible friendly forces under attack south of your position, over!" Jun alerted Carter. He then patched the distress signal through to the team. "We're under attack, repeat, mayday, mayday, 3 Charlie Six, we're under attack by the Covenant, I've got wounded, cannot hold this position." Carter spoke, "We need to find those troopers now. Floor it, Brian!" Brian acknowledged, and opened up the throttle as far as it would go, and then some.

After a whole 30 seconds, they arrived at the soldier's location, and jumped off the truck. "Noble Three, we've located the trooper squad. Request immediate evac. My coordinates." Carter spoke. Jun replied "Solid copy, Commander. Recalling Falcon Charlie 2. Hold that evac position."

They engaged the Grunts who were holding the soldiers down. Brian went around a rock, and up behind the small pack of Grunts. He picked off the leader with his Magnum, and before the others could comprehend what had happened, he had already taken them out. The other SPARTANs looked at him in disbelief. His only comment was "That's how you do that." Jun cut them out of their daze. "Noble Leader, be advised: I have visual on inbound Covenant dropships." Carter acknowledged. "Evac transport, keep your distance! Brian, Jorge, hold this position. Clear an LZ." The fireteam leader spoke to Carter. "SPARTANs? Corporal Travis, 3 Charlie, sir. It's the Covenant..." Carter cut him off. "We know, Corporal. Let's get you out of here."

Soon after, the dropships arrived. They dropped off about 7 Elites, 15 Grunts, and about 6 Skirmishers and 5 Kig-Yar Jackals. The soldiers held the fort, killing about 9 Grunts and an Elite. Brian made short work of the rest of the Grunts with his newly-found Designated Marksman's Rifle, or DMR. Carter had taken out 3 Elites and 4 Jackals, while Jorge finished off the Skirmishers. Brian tripped the last Jackal, and then drove his knife straight into its heart, killing it instantly. The soldiers had made short work of 2 more Elites, but were in desperate need of an assist. Brian tackled one Elite, and gouged his eye out with his knife. Carter climbed up the back of another Elite, stabbed the top of his head, and pulled the knife across the top of his head, taking both brain matter and skull with it. Jorge finished off the remaining 4 Elites with his Machine Gun turret.

"Transport, LZ is clear. Move in for evac." Carter called.  
"Affirmative. Transport inbound." Jun replied.  
The Falcons land, and pick up the team of soldiers. They head off one way, while Noble departs for the relay.  
"Noble Two, sit-rep." Carter asked.  
"We're at the relay outpost. Door's locked. Mechanism's been flash-fused." Kat replied.  
"Can you beat it?" He pushed.  
"I dialed up my torch, cut a way through. Going to take some time." She replied.  
Carter paused for a moment. "Okay, we're en route to your location."

Noble team approached the LZ.  
"We're approaching the com outpost." the pilot said.  
Carter looked around. "Drop us in the courtyard."  
"LZ's a little hot, sir..." the pilot started.  
Carter cut him off. "Put her down, pilot. Brian, break's over."

Once the Falcon landed, they piled out. Brian spotted a way up, and took it. There, he found some DMR ammo, and an Armor Lockup module. He thought to himself, _Kevin would like this,_ and picked up the module. He moved to the guard rail, and tossed a Frag into the crowd of Covenant. The explosion was followed by a shower of blood, body parts, and various internal organs. A pancreas landed next to his foot, (At least, he thought it was a pancreas.) There were a few Covenant remaining, and Kevin started on the shields of an Elite. Brian started on it too, and together, they broke the shields. Carter, however, stole the kill. They didn't complain, on account of they didn't have time to.  
"How we doing, Kat?" Carter asked.  
"Taking a little longer than I hoped, Commander. I've cut about halfway through the door." She replied.  
"Contact!" Emile called out.  
"Hold them off until Kat can hack the controls." Carter ordered.

More Spirits appeared to drop off another wave. They were quicly dispatched by a Type-1 Antipersonnel Grenade, or Plasma Grenade, tossed by Kevin. He thought out loud. "Damn! These things are so overpowered! That's not fair! Why don't we get grenades like this?" Carter replied, "Kevin, enough!" Kevin resigned without a word.  
"Kat?" Carter pushed.  
"Just about...there! We're in!" Kat said.  
"Everybody inside! Go, go, go!" Carter ordered.

Brian jumped down from his perch, and ran into the relay station, just as the doors started to close, locking out the Covenant. Carter gave a short briefing. "We need to find the control room. From there, Kat can get the relay back online. Emile, post here. If we flush any hostiles, they're yours. All right, let's do this." They proceed through the door in the back. From there, they entered a dark room."Can't see a thing. Noble Six, turn on your night vision." Carter spoke. Brian replied, "I can see fine. I guess that's because I'm a SPARTAN-II." Carter's response was "I guess so." Kat cut in. "Control room. Go easy." Brian turned a corner and saw a dead body. It looked to have been impaled by a Type-1 Energy Weapon / Sword, or Energy Sword. Kat told him to search the body, to which he complied.

He began to search the body, and Carter found an injured soldier, and asks "Where's the rest of your unit?" The soldier replied, tiredly, "We got split. I don't think they... It sounded bad on the comms." Carter acknowledged. He told the trooper, "All right, Corporal, stay put. We'll get you a combat surgeon." Brian found a data module on the body, while Kat spoke, "Damn. Plasma damage!" Brian called, "Found something." Kat snatched the data module from Brian's hand and spoke, "I'll take that, Six. Not your domain." Jorge cut in and said "I've got a live one over here. Come on, out you come." He picked up a young girl by the arm, but she continued hitting him while yelling in Hungarian. Jorge continued, "It's all right, we're not going to hurt you." Carter, wanting results, began, "Jorge..." Jorge cut Carter off. "I've got her." He put down his weapon, and grabbed the girl by both arms. He spoke in a stern voice, "Keep still, and I'll release you." The girl shakily replied. "Még...Itt vannak." _(They are still here...) _Jorge Stiffened as a Field-Marshal Elite jumped down, and Jorge barely avoids the Energy Sword. It slashed the edge of his shields. The Marshal growled at the rest of Noble team and charges, while 3 more Zealots jump down.  
Emile calls over the comms. "What's your status, over?"  
Carter replies, "We've been engaged!"

The Marshal nearly cuts Kat in half, but Carter pushes her out of the way. Brian and Kevin maintain constant fire, and the Elites shields finally collapse, but the Elite shoulders Kevin out of the way, knocks Brian down, and runs out of the door. Another Zealot grabs Brian and attempts to stab him, but Brian punches him in the face, stunning him momentarily. The Elite, unfazed, roared at Brian, and prepared to stab him. Kevin, after regaining his composure, kicked him off, and Kat opened fire, draining the Zealot's shields. Kevin then kicked an assault rifle to Brian, who dove for it. The two Zealots headed for another door, one holding the shouting Corporal as a shield. Noble team held their fire, and the civilian girl begins screaming while the Zealots head through the door. The Corporal's screams are heard as he was killed.  
"That tango blew past me. Permission to pursue?" Emile called  
"Negative Four, stay on the entrance. Two, handle her. Five, Six, and Seven, clear the hole."

Brian and Kevin reloaded, and Jorge walked in to the next room. Brian and Kevin followed. Jorge Shut the door behind them. He then tossed a flare to the other side of the room in an attempt to draw out the hiding Covenant. One of the Zealots popped up from behind a crate, firing his Type-50 Directed Energy Rifle / dHeavy, or Concussion Rifle, at the team, followed by the Grunts and Jackals using their weapons. Jorge drew the fire, while Brian and Kevin snuck around. When they were close, Brian rushed the Zealot, and began climbing on him. He twisted the head of the Elite around, back and forth, until several "cracks" could be heard, signifying the breaking of his neck. The Grunts and Jackals were stunned at how fast their leader had been killed. That was their mistake. Kevin lobbed another Plasma grenade at the group, while Brian tossed a Frag in the same group. They were all killed, and all that remained was a thick, blue mist.

They heard Covenant retreating down the corridor, and the team followed suit. They came up on what appeared to be the main computer room. Jorge spoke, "There's more. Flush 'em out, I've got you covered." Kevin jumped down and Brian took the stairs while Jorge opened fire on the group, killing about 3 Grunts, and drawing the two Zealots out of hiding. Kevin, having jumped down, found the body of a soldier. In his hand, the T45 TS Shotgun. Next to it, he found a Bubble Shield. He always found them useless. Brian, however, went straight foward with his attack, killing two Grunts and a Jackal. Jorge, who kept the high ground, riddled the rest of the Grunts and Jackals with .50cal rounds. The Elites, however, just shrugged it off, until one's shield broke. Brian took his DMR by the barrel and smacked the towering alien in the abdomen. It cringed at the pain, and Brian neatly placed a single bullet securely in his eye socket. The last Elite, holding a Sword, rushed at Brian. He saw it too late, and was about to be cut down. He watched his eyes flash before his eyes. As the Elite was about to swing, he suddenly heard a loud "bang", when the world went dark around him. Brian looked up, only to find Kevin, holding a shotgun. He spoke, "Oh, man! I am SO keeping this!"

Jorge spoke over the comm. "Noble Five reporting. Contacts neutralized." Carter replied in prompt. "Kat needs you to reset a junction. Do it and get back up here." Jorge confirmed. "Roger. Six? Seven? Do it." Kevin replied, in his usual wise-ass tone. "Sure. I'll get right on it." He moved over to the junction reset, and began inputting various passwords, but to no avail. After several minutes of trying, Carter spoke. "Five? What's taking so long?" Kevin replied before Jorge. "That's 'Seven', or 'Kevin', sir. And about the junction: it would be easier if I knew the access code, but there are only a few combinations left to try." Carter, wanting results ASAP, spoke "The code is 154982." Kevin put it in. The panel made a brief "beep", before the LCD display turned a sickening shade of green. Kevin spoke to Brian, "Well, that was fun, but I never want to do that again." He wiped the blood off of his cobalt-blue visor, and began walking back with Brian and Jorge.

A few minutes passed. Carter walked over to Kat, who was working on the comm relay's main console. He knelt down, and spoke.  
"How long?"  
Kat replied, "Question of my life. If the question is when will this station be back online, two weeks, earliest."  
She explained, "This is plasma damage. All major uplink components are fried."  
Carter pushed. "Two minutes is too long."  
Kat replied. "Which is why I'm splicing into the main overland bundle to get you a direct line to Colonel Holland... you're in my light, Commander."

Carter stood up, and turned to Jorge. He pointed at the young girl and told him to find out what she knows. Jorge complied. He tapped the girl on the shoulder, but she shoved his hand off. Emile saw this, and chuckled to himself. Jorge ignored him, and began asking questions. "What's your name? Do you live around here?" He knelt down, and removed his helmet. "A nevem Jorge." _(My name's Jorge.)_ She replied, "Sára." He continued, "Sára... szép határozott név." _(Sára... pretty definite name.)_ "Your accent sounds familiar. Sopron?" She replied, "Tengeri." Jorge looked over at the dead man. "Friend of yours?" She shakily replied, "Father." He offered his condolences. "Sajnálom. I'm sorry." She bitterly asked. "Why would you be?" He grimmaced as he remembered his family, whom he had been taken from when he was six.

Emile turned to Kevin and Brian, and spoke. "Big man forgets what he is sometimes." Jorge walked past, and coldly spoke to him, "She just lost her father." He walked to Carter, and spoke to him. "She needs a full psychiatric workup." Emile spoke to himself, "She's not the only one." Carter got tired of this little feud quickly. "Lock it down, both of you!" He turned to Jorge, "Get her on her feet... the body stays here." Jorge replied, "Thank you, sir."

Jorge walked past Emile, and gave him a glare that would peel the paint off of a 2552 HuCiv Coupe. He helped the girl onto her feet, when Kat broke the brief silence. "Signal. It's patchy, but it's there." Carter looked over and said he would take it. She warned him, "Best not touch anything. You wouldn't want to ground this place." Her and the rest of Noble team, excluding Carter, left the room. A thick static came over the comms, as Colonel Holland's voice came in. "... barely getting you. What's your situation, over?" Carter spoke. "Colonel, this is Noble 1. There are no rebels. The Covenant are on Reach, acknowledge?" Colonel Holland replied, confused. "Come again, Noble One? Did you say 'Covenant'?" Carter replied, "Affirmative. It's the WINTER CONTINGENCY."

_"May God help us all."_

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**A/N**

**(Keith) Well, that's chapter 1. Tell me what you think, please? Seriously, this took like... a month or so to write? Well, don't be expecting chapter 2 anytime soon. I will be writing it, but it will probably take a while. Hope Corey will be there to help.**


	5. Chapter 2: The Sword in the Stone

**A/N**

**(Keith) I have officially annexed responsibilities for this job, and I would like to apologize for the extremely long wait, but I lost the login info. Here's the second chapter. Enjoy.**

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**Sword Base, Babd Catha Ice Shelf, Eposz**

**July 26, 2552, 11:26 Hours**

"I'm just saying, why is it always us that gets the hardest jobs?" Kevin began. "Surely there are SPARTANS more..."

The radio cut him off before he could finish his thought. _"Be advised, kilo-three-three and kilo-three-four, your current LZ is too hot!"_ Carter replied to the voice, "Roger that. Dot, standby to receive and respond."

The falcons flew over a large island, bringing the immediate threat into view: A SDV-class heavy corvette holding position just outside of the Sword Base perimeter.

Auntie Dot replied to and briefed the team, "Yes, Commander... coordinates received. Initiate immediate course correction. The Office of Naval Intelligence Sword Base is presently under siege from a corvette-class Covenant vessel. Due to the sensitive nature of this facility, use of orbital rounds has been, for the moment, prohibited. Regrettably, my efforts to obtain relevant data on enemy forces have been unsuccessful. However, current defensive forces are insufficient. ONI has requested Team Noble's direct intervention to help secure Sword Base."

Carter acknowledged her, "Alright people, we're stuck with that ship for the time being. Let's focus on the hostile infantry - give those troopers a hand."

Sword Command gave a quick alert to the team before they landed, _"Noble Team, be advised SPARTAN Team Black Sheep is already engaged in the courtyard. They have suffered multiple casualties and injuries, and are requesting assistance."_

Another voice cut into the radio, a girl. _"Noble Team, you're the relief workers that Sword Command promised?"_ Kevin replied to her, "Well, if it isn't Christie. How have you been since Operation PROMETHIUS?" She started _"Well if you must know, Kevin, I haven't exactly been good so far, as you can tell."_ Kevin looked over at the crashed Falcon in the middle of the courtyard, along with the two SPARTANS next to it. "So I see."

Carter interjected, "Cut the chatter, you two. The battlefield is no place for romance. Kat, Brian, Kevin - you're out here. Jorge, Emile - you're next, get prepped."

The Falcon lowers to the ground as the three SPARTANS get their weapons ready.

Kat calls to them, "Let's move, boys." as the Falcon hovers about 1 or 2 feet of the ground. They jump off and are quickly surrounded by scared soldiers looking for a little relief. "Thank god you're here! The Black Sheep Team is low on men and need reinforcements. Their leader is over there, behind that gas can." Kat looked at the soldier and nodded to him.

"Thank god you guys finally made it. We've lost our pilot and our handler, the latter of which I'm not as sad about. Carl was kind of a dick. Eduardo was a different story. A good man."

Kat queried "Where's the rest of your team?"

Christie replied, "Scattered. The medic is just over there, caring for the wounded."

Another voice came on the radio _"I'm a Corpsman, ma'am. I worked hard for my title. I respectfully ask that you use it."_

Christie replied, "Shut it, Will, I don't need your input right now. Go help out Rick."

Kevin interjected, "No, I will help Rick, you keep tending to those soldiers, Herr Doctor"

William replied, _"Roger that, Shamrock."_

_The Best Defense..._

Carter appeared over the radio, _"Noble: push back the attack on Sword Base, find out what we're dealing with."_

Kat replied "Roger that, we're your strike team."

Kevin ran up a ramp with Kat, Brian, Christie, and a few soldiers whom had regained their confidence. When they reached the top, Kevin was rammed by a charging Elite, who insulted the downed SPARTAN "Fruqo't bluagh thugra zzi! (Damn disgusting armored bug!)" Kevin did a handspring and said, "I don't know what you just called me, but I bet it was insulting!" He removed a black hatchet from his waist, before rushing the Elite. The Elite put his hand up in defense, but to no avail. Kevin had already shoved the hatchet into the towering Sangheili's skull. It died immediately. Kevin looked over to see a Grunt, paralyzed with fear. He looked

Brian was stunned, "Since when do you carry hatchets?"

Kevin replied, "Since I started carrying this." and pulled a large machete from its sheathe across his lower back. It had the same black-titanium finish that was on his hatchets. He replaced the large blade into its black leather sheathe, and removed the hatchet from the skull of the dead alien.

Sword Control gave the team an update. _"SPARTANS, hostiles north."_

They walked to the northern edge of the platform, where they spotted a significant number of Covenant troops.

"Damn..." Kevin started.  
"I know." Brian consoled.  
"What do we do, now?" a marine asked.  
"We knock some heads!" Kat replied.  
"Brian go help our marksman Rallo!" Christie ordered.

Brian ran across the bridge where he encountered a Grunt and a couple of Jackals. He took out his combat knife and threw it like it was a throwing knife. It hit the Jackals arm just so as to cut it off. It cried in pain as Brian took its severed arm and threw the shield at the other Jackal. It hit the Jackal hard enough to decapitate the creature. He grabbed the body before it hit the ground and took the Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher, or Needler, out of its hand and perforated the Grunt, who had just watched in horror as his friends had been brutalized. After ten needles had been shot into the helpless creature, it exploded into a blue and pinkish mesh of blood, guts and needle fragments. He dropped the empty Needler and swapped out for his DMR, but stopped. He looked down at the severed arm of the Jackal, and had a thought. He picked it up, and removed the glove thingy. He slipped it onto his own wrist, and activated it. It glowed red, then slowly turned yellow, then softened to a crisp Covenant blue. He smirked as he deactivated it and rushed forward. When he reached the end of the platform, he found Rallo, crouched next to a side rail, with various panels that seem to act as cover for a sniper. Rallo waved him over, at which point he switched to his SRS-99 AM Sniper Rifle. He took aim, and took the head off an Elite. The bullet went straight through, bounced off the ground, and pierced the skull of an unfortunate Jackal.

On the ground, Kevin, Kat, Christie, and the rest of the soldiers were engaging the Covenant at incredible odds. The team kept close and tore through the many Grunts, Elites, and Jackals, to reach Rick. Kevin looked around before he set eyes on the SPARTAN. He called to him with a hand signal, and he and a friend waved them over. The entire team grouped up with the two SPARTANS. "Christy, I thought that there were only like five or six SPARTANS to a team. What gives?" Kevin queried.

Christie explained "Kevin, this is Jack, SPARTAN-251. He and William were both with Shadow Team, who was Sword Bases previous on-site SPARTAN team."

Jack spoke, "Me and Will are the only survivors." he said while tossing a frag into a group of Jackals and Grunts. The frag detonated and body parts went flying everywhere.

The last SPARTAN in the group took out a W/AV M6 G/GNR Spartan Laser, and fired it after a 5 second charge up. The red beam of light impacted an Elite General, leaving a burning hole straight through. The Elite looked down for a second, then fell to his knees, and died. The SPARTAN yelled, "OH YEAH, THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR MESSIN' WITH BLACK SHEEP SQUAD!"

Kevin looked at Christy, "Who is that, Sally?"

She replied, "That's Acer, our EOD Specialist."

Jack commented, "I'm still better."

Kevin replied to his comment, "Jack, I think I finally found a name for you. Grenade Spammer. You friggin' grenade spammer."

Jack replied defensively, "I do NOT!" he said as he lobbed two more frags into another group of Covenant. They went off with a duo of **_"Bang's!"_** scattering body parts all over the courtyard.

Once the courtyard was clear, Brian, Rallo, and Will headed down to rejoin the team. The group of 10 SPARTANS ran down a ramp where they encountered multiple Skirmishers and an Elite General.

_To Be Finished..._

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**A/N:**

**Well, that was the first part of what is technically the second chapter. As long as I have kept you waiting, I figured I would upload an UNFINISHED version of the story, because I really do care what our readers think. Again, this chapter is INCOMPLETE, and IS subject to update and change. What you read was a very alpha version of this chapter. So please, leave a review saying what I should change, if anything, and if you have an idea of what you want to see later in this chapter, input is always appreciated. So please review. More than likely no one will, but oh well.**


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